The demand was made by nearly 2,000 sadhus of Dharma Jagran Vibhag, an RSS wing of religious leaders

February 4, 2016, NewsCrunch

Sadhus affiliated to Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh passed a resolution on Wednesday demanding BJP to make Gorakhpur MP Yogi Adityanath the face of its election campaign in Uttar Pradesh.

If the BJP accedes to the demand, Adityanath would also become a strong contender for the CM's post, if the party wins the election.

The demand was made by nearly 2,000 sadhus of Dharma Jagran Vibhag, an RSS wing of religious leaders, through a unanimous resolution passed at the end of a three-day meet at Gorakhpur, reports The Telegraph.

Swami Chinmayanand, who was a central minister in the Vajpayee government said Adityanath was as young as Akhilesh and hence could take on the incumbent CM. He also said as a hardliner, Adityanath would ensure the construction of the Ram temple at Ayodhya.

BJP is likely to ignore the demand as it would like to fight the polls under Modi. It would also be conscious that Adityanath is a divisive figure who would consolidate votes of minorities and those uncomfortable with hardline Hindutva politics against it.

However, in the past, BJP has not shied away from using Adityanath as star campaigner whenever it though the electoral calculus favoured his projection. Many in BJP see the sadhus' resolution as Adityanath's flexing of muscles to bargain for more seats for his supporters.

Adityanath, who was present at the sadhus meet, said the election would be fought collectively.

Hollywood producers who have cliched cameos for Irrfan Khan need not approach.

February 4, 2016, NewsCrunch

While Bollywood stars fall flat for any offer from Hollywood, Irrfan Khan has made it a habit of saying no to even Western biggies, who offer cameos.

He has just rejected an offer to act in Ghost in the Shell, a Steven Spielberg production. It does not matter that he would have shared screen space with the likes of Scarlett Johansson if he had said yes.

Ghost in the Shell, whichtells the story of a fictional counter-cyber terrorist organization, is based on a popular Japanese Manga series.

Irrfan Khan had earlier refused to pay the Indian scientist in Ridley Scott's The Martian.

So, what's the problem here.

Irrfan Khan told Mumbau Mirror that he is at a stage in his career where he wants to surprise his audience with every role, give them some variety.

So, that means Hollywood producers who have cliched cameos for Irrfan Khan need not approach.

"I am hoping the future holds something so path-breaking and so empowering for me as an artist that a 'no' will not be an option," Irrfan Khan adds.

Smriti Irani, who has Y-level security now, will be protected by a 20 policemen if she is moved to Z level.

February 4, 2016, NewsCrunch

The Home Ministry is planning to upgrade Union HRD Minister Smriti Irani's security to Z category.

Following almost continuous students protests against her, the Ministry feels the threat perception to the Minister has enhanced.

A Home Ministry official told The Hindu that there was almost a daily protest in front of her office and feared that miscreants may take advantage of it.

Smriti Irani, who has Y-level security now, will be protected by a 20 policemen if she is moved to Z level. The security cordon against her would make it impossible for anyone to get to her vicinity without her approval.

The spate of protests against Smriti Irani started when she decided to withdraw scholarships to non-NET students. The protests further escalated following the suicide of Hyerabad Central Varsity dalit student Rohit Vemula.

Arvind Kejriwal's sandal photo at Rashtrapati Bhavan banquet for President Hollande, which has now become viral material

February 4, 2016, NewsCrunch

When President Pranab Mukherjee gave French President Hollande a banquet at New Delhi, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal went wearing sandals and thick woolen socks.

Vishakapatnam's mechanical engineer-turned-businessman Sumit Agrawal did not like it.

He accused Kejriwal of dressing shabbily and shaming the country by not following the dress code for a formal occasion. Sumit Agrawal also sent him a demand draft of Rs 364 to buy a pair of formal shoes.

In an open letter posted on Facebook, Sumit Agrawal introduces himself as a fellow engineer though not from IIT like Kejriwal. He, however, adds that he is a fellow marwari.

Sumit Agrawal says the Rs 364 donation constitutes a Sunday afternoon's hardwork. He did not want to give the money from his pocket as making political contribution is against his principle, he says.

So he walked around in the neighbourhood raising money to buy shoes for Kejriwal.

He notes that the amount may look small for Kejriwal, who now makes Rs 2.1 lakh a month after the hefty salary hike he gave himself. But the symbolism matters, he suggests.

Sumit Agrawal's his letter went viral turning him into a sensation overnight.

The mix up occurred as the two planes were boarding from adjacent gates 41A and 41 B.

February 5, 2016, NewsCrunch

In a major mix-up, a Mangalore-bound passenger boarded a wrong plane that was heading to another part of the country, Raipur, on Thursday, at the Mumbai airport.

The Air India ground staff, which checks tickets, failed to spot that passenger was on a wrong flight.

The mix up occurred as the two planes were boarding from adjacent gates 41A and 41 B.

As the Raipur and Mangalore planes were scheduled for departure at 10 am and 10.15 am, they started boarding at almost the same time confusing the passenger.

Mid Day quotes an airport official saying it is the responsibility of the crew to be alert to prevent such mix-ups.

When one of the crew members realised that he had a wrong ticket stub, the Raipur-bound plane was already taxiing. It was reportedly stopped and the passenger was transferred to the Mangalore plane.

Both the planes departed after some delay.

Three months ago, in a similar incident, another Air India passenger with a ticket to Jamnagar had boarded a plane to Coimbatore. The plane had to abort take-off and return to the bay to transfer the passenger.

This is how alleged Indian spy Sarabjit Singh probably looked in his last days in Pakistani jails.

February 5, 2016, NewsCrunch

A shock photo of Randeep Hooda, who plays the title role in biopic Sarabjit Singh, has surfaced.

The photo shows a totally emaciated Randeep with wild hair and beard. He also has a rat bite on his chest.

This is how alleged Indian spy Sarabjit Singh probably looked in his last days in Pakistani jails.

The unfortunate man, who was accused of terrorism, was condemned to death in 1991. Pakistan kept him alive by repeatedly postponing the execution till he was killed by fellow inmates in 2013 at the Lahore jail.

Sarabjit Singh was confined to a 4x4 cell and had rat bite marks all over his body.

The unlikely emaciated avatar of Randeep, one of the fittest Bollywood stars, has created social media buzz.

Director of the movie Omung Kumar told Mumbai Mirror that when he chose Randeep for Sarabjit Singh's role he told him that he wanted to see his bones.

To get that look Randeep reportedly dropped 18 kgs in 28 days. He cut down on meals and survived mostly on coffee and water to get the look.

A heart-warming tale of a Muslim family, which adopted a Hindu orphan as their own, comes from in South Delhi.

A wedding video of Laxman, the adopted son, looks like footage from any other Hindu marriage. The only difference is his family, all of who are Muslims.

His father touchingly says they were poor when they had their own son. But they had made money when Laxman happened.

“I could give Laxman what I could not give my other son,” says the father.

The bride’s parents say they are impressed by the love they have received from Laxman’s family. Whatever the religion, we are human beings first, they say.

In a similar incident, a Muslim pilot had agreed to accept the responsibility of his dead Hindu colleague’s children sometime ago.

Video: Delhi Muslim family raises Hindu orphan as own son – gets him married to Hindu girl

#GoodNewsToday: Marriage with a difference!A Muslim family in Delhi has set an example for the entire nation by raising a Hindu boy and then getting him married to a Hindu girl as per Hindu rituals. #IndiaAboveHatePosted by India Today on Tuesday, February 2, 2016

Here is a first – Ravindra Jadeja’s fiancée Reeva Solanki wants to become an IAS officer.

An engineer, Reeva is now in Delhi, the Mecca of IAS aspirants, preparing for the UPSC exams.

Cricketers’ wives come in all forms - home makers to enterprising professionals to models or actresses. But none of them so far have been an IAS aspirant.

Jadeja got engaged to Reeva at Rajkoton Friday in a private ceremony.

Both of them come from Rakjot and have been dating for a while. The families have also played a role match making.

Reeva’s father is a contractor and mother is a railways official. She did her mechanical engineering degree at the well-known AtmiyaCollegeand as we mentioned wants to be a babu and is studying for that.